Author's Note: Welcome to Chapter 9 of End of an Era! In this chapter, we have the end of the first fight between Milla and Sekundes. It took me a little longer than I thought to finish the fight (sometimes I think maybe I go into too much detail with the descriptions) but I hope it's all to your liking.
In this chapter, we also find out Leia's fate from the last chapter, as well as a bit more insight into Gilford's character and his relationship with Alvin. We also get a bit more background information in regard to the Never-ending Battle between Maxwell and Sekundes.
Also, two scenes in this chapter have been edited due to (explicit) violence. The uncut version can be found on my blog for those interested in seeing the full description of the scenes (although I'm sure I'm already kind of pushing the Teen-rating envelope with some of the stuff that remains).
With that said, let's get back to the story!
Chapter 9: Unlike Her
Blam! A single loud noise had echoed throughout the dying chaos of the EX Laboratories facility. The booming sound wasn't what caught the group's attention, it was the events that transpired thereafter.
"Leia!" the image of their friend from afar was as clear as day.
It happened so quickly, so unexpectedly, the one person who had always kept their spirits up when times became tough had just been…!
"Leia…?" the businessman in front of their friend cried. "Leia!"
"A sniper? Where?!" the Lord of Spirits quickly began to survey the nearby building tops.
"You bastard!" the young researcher beside her screamed into the heavens. "Show yourself!"
Without wasting another moment, the six companions quickly hurried over to their dying friend. As they drew closer, the whispered words the editor and the former mercenary started to become clear, their exchange hinting at the lives they missed during everyone's time apart.
"C'mon, don't you want to yell at me some more about me forgetting our anniversary?" Alvin cried in almost a panic. "What about burning my entire scarf collection, you're still going to do that right? Or what about the threat of… C'mon, Leia. Wake up. Wake up!"
"Alvin, let me try!" the young teacher quickly began casting her healing artes.
"You're wasting your time," the purple-haired girl bluntly spoke.
"What?!" the words caught everyone off guard.
"I said you're wasting your time," Sophie repeated, her voice as cold as ever.
"You care to repeat that, Pipsqueak?" the former mercenary snarled, taking the girl by the collar.
"Alvin , please calm down," Rowen tried to reason. "Surely Sophie-"
"So you're siding with her then?!" Alvin spat. "I would think that-!"
Blam! A second shot had followed, this one coming close to the Lord of Spirits, hitting the dirt just an inch before her heel. This time however, the reflection of the scope's rifle was spotted by the young recruit.
"Hm, how unfortunate," the green-haired woman on the side of the opposition simply said. "Do you think it was deliberate that he missed?"
"Up there!" Elle pointed at the peak of the closest building.
"That son of a bitch!" the businessman spat, forcefully pushing the purple-haired girl away. "He's dead!"
"Alvin, don't go alone!" Elize tried to reason with him, only for him to rush to the sniper's position. "Why? Why won't the bleeding stop?!" the young magician turned back to her still unconscious friend.
"I'll go too!" the Lord of Spirits tried to follow.
Before she could take a single step however, she found the world around her once again growing cold. The blur of a red streak flashed across her eyes again for mere second, the Lord of Spirits unable to react once more as her body and the rest of the world remained frozen once again. Without warning a flash of blue swung forward, her body now finally able to reach, her black blade barely catching her foe's blue sword.
"You're not going anywhere, Milla Maxwell," the Lord of Space and Time simply stated as he stood before her once again.
Once again the Demon King stood before her path. Looking into his eerily similar colored pink eyes again reflected the same determination she always held. She could tell that he was just as committed to completing his task as Milla was hers. He would not let her pass a single step, he knew that he would see to it. However…
"Milla, we'll go after Alvin," Gaius volunteered, his prime minister following suit.
The Lord of Spirits was Sekundes' objective, the man not even batting an eye as her comrades volunteered to go after the former mercenary and the sniper. This truly was the case, she was his mission, he had no intention of going after her companions. Knowing this, the Lord of Spirits spoke her next words.
"…I'll leave it up to you then," Milla simply nodded as they made their way toward the sniper.
Blam! The second shot was fired; the centering was perfect, the wind still, but the target still lived. Gilford found himself shocked that he had missed despite the conditions of his shot. It wasn't his fault why he missed the woman that was the cause of all of his misery, it was the person who had moved his rifle's barrel at the last second.
"What do you think you're doing, Kaon?" the young Splintered leader questioned his subordinate.
"My apologies, Master Gilford," the woman known as 'Kaon' replied. "But Lady Emeraude stated that we were not to kill Milla Maxwell, only incapacitate her."
"Kaon, do you not understand?!" the silver-haired young man allowed his rage to get the best of him once again. "The reason for all of this, the reason for our current lives, it's all because…!"
Finally after ten years, Gilford's chance for revenge had come, and now it seemed like all of his efforts were thrown away in that single diverted shot. His teeth were clenching, his eyes were burning; anger was once again consuming his entire being.
Yet his anger soon subsided as her arms wrapped around him. Again he felt his rage lifting with her touch, the air around him growing ever so light within her embrace. The older woman always had a way to calm the young leader, even in his youth. Whether it was the flowery scent of her long, yellow-green hair or the silkiness of her skin, even Gilford did not know what entranced him to her since he was but a child.
"I know, young master…," she simply said in their embrace. "I know…"
"You bastard, you're gonna pay for-!" the two quickly found themselves interrupted by a rash but determined voice.
Until now, Alvin was determined to rip apart the person that shot Leia into pieces, but that feeling quickly subsided in that very second. Though his gray hair and red eyes reminded the former mercenary of a man that he harbored a deep hatred for, he still saw the crying eyes and sobs that once escaped those young eyes. This young man that stood before him that shot his ex-girlfriend and the young boy he wished he could save from a similar fate as he, there was no way that both be the same person, right?
"You're-!"
The sound of a knife flinging toward the two quickly interrupted Alvin's words, its sharp screech enough to practically pierce an eardrum. The blade was almost impossible for one's eye to register, a mere blur in fact. Yet the woman caressing the young Splintered leader had managed to catch it between her index and middle finger, her gaze still averted toward her young master. With the dagger now in her hand, her gentle gaze quickly shifted into a fierce one, her narrowed purple eyes paralyzing the businessman and his companions for a mere second.
"I will not allow you to harm my young master!" the woman seethed.
Releasing her young master in that moment, the older woman quickly withdrew and began charging at the three. From the sleeve or her white and violet robes, she removed a collapsible staff, gold in color, with one of its ends carrying a sphere-like head. Her assault began with the former mercenary, swinging her polearm's free end at his legs before he got an opportunity to draw his broadsword. The moment he struck the ground however, the monarch quickly sprang forward with an overhead swing of his pipe. Clang! The improvised weapon rang as it struck the ground, having slipped from the fabric of the woman's long sleeve instead of her limb. Again she struck, this time jabbing the knobbed top into the king's abdomen before quickly striking with him down with the other end of her staff.
Not wasting an opportunity, the eldest of the three men now struck, lunging inward with his rapier. As suspected, the woman had ducked underneath his attempted stab, swinging her weapon at his hip in an effort to counter. Yet her staff stopped before it could find its mark, halted by a dagger that the elder man drew as he turned his body toward his right side. Impressed by his improvisation, the woman spun her staff once again, interchanging the position of her weapon again as she leapt forward. Again their weapons batted one another, the former conductor pacing himself backward a total of three steps to match the number of consecutive swings his opponent followed with.
With the two apparently evenly matched, Gaius turned his attention to the 'young master' who was now alone to fend for himself. The man appeared to be inexperienced in combat, his red eyes concentrating on the spectacle before him. It was as if he were a child watching TV, totally engrossed by what he was seeing as he rooted for a single side. This was an opportune moment to strike Gaius had thought, his body rising once more as he took his improvised weapon into both of his hands and swung.
"Demon Fang!" he chanted as a burst of energy sprang from the force of his swing.
It was at that moment that the young man realized the errors of his ways, the mana-infused projectile rushing toward him at an alarming speed. It was already too late to even try to evade the strike; any attempts to move would probably result in the loss of at least one of his limbs. Regardless, he took the risk, attempting to jump to the side, despite his left ankle being left wide open as he made his jump.
Yet he felt nothing as a geyser of red erupted. To the shock of everyone in the battlefield, the woman had come to her young master's aid once more, risking her own life to save his. Gaius's attack had quickly eaten through the woman's entire left leg as she shielded him from the strike, the limb having been severed cleanly off as if it were a hot knife running through butter. Despite the severity of the cut however, the woman simply wore a concerned look on her face, her eyes locked solely on the young man before her.
"Kaon!" the inexperienced leader cried as he took her into his arms.
"I…I'm all right, young master," the woman assured him. "It's just a leg."
"Just a leg?!" Alvin exclaimed. "You're gonna bleed out!"
"Hardly," Kaon simply scoffed.
As if on cue, the violet sphere on the woman's hand began to glow, and with it, the area in which Gaius had cut. Light began to emanate from her palm now, the woman taking it to the newly made stump. With her touch, the wound began to close, the flesh cauterizing to her touch. The woman bit down on her own lip as she closed the cut, her face contorting further with every second that passed. Finally after ten agonizing seconds, the entire wound was closed, the woman somehow able to stand on her single leg despite the torture she had just put herself through.
"What?!" Rowen could only look shocked from what he had just witnessed.
"Young master, I advise we order our men to retreat," the woman calmly recommended to her leader, speaking as if the pain from her wound had already subsided.
"You can't be serious Kaon!" the young leader protested.
"I am serious," she simply repeated. "The presence of another within the shadows undermines my own."
"…very well, I'll send the order," Gilford simply stated as he removed a radio from his belt.
"As much as I'd like to continue with this little charade, we have other matters to attend to," the woman simply said. "Before we part however, I must ask you your name," she turned to the elder man.
"Rowen," the former conductor answered. "Rowen J. Ilbert, Prime Minister of Rieze Maxia."
"Rowen J. Ilbert," she practiced the name. "It has been many years since I've fought against a man of your skill. Remember my name then, Rowen J. Ilbert, for there is not many who I would give it and consider my equal, especially a man of your mere stature. You may address me as 'Kaon'."
"Planning on running away already, are you?" Gaius questioned.
"Enough lives have already been lost today and our spheres have had more than their share of mana," the woman petted the violet sphere on her hand.
"Wait, Gillian, you're not going anywhere!" Alvin surprisingly called to the young man.
"Sorry we can't take the time to talk, Alfred," the Splintered leader addressed the businessman. "Maybe next time we can catch up on old times."
"Ray!" Kaon suddenly raised her staff upward.
In that very instant, more beams of illumination appeared, this time emanating from her staff and spreading outward like spores. The light was enough to blind the three in that moment, but its touch was hot to the touch. Though the arte had the potential to harm, Rowen knew that this time it was merely a distraction, finding the two foes disappear into a new beam of light which seemed to have come from the heavens. With their disappearance, the arte's casting suddenly came to an end, the three now puzzled by what had just occurred.
"Who were those people?" Gaius questioned. "Alvin, you seemed to know that young man. Is he acquaintance of yours? And what of you, Rowen? Why are you so silent?"
Both Rowen and Alvin could only say nothing in response to the monarch's question. For Alvin, it was the past he thought he had long discarded eleven years ago, including that of an innocent boy he once defended from his overbearing father on a daily basis. For Rowen, it was the prospect of an individual who seemed just as, if not more loyal, to the one they chose to follow, an individual who was just as skilled as he. Unable to test the king's patience, Alvin was the first to open his mouth and end this uneasiness.
"…nobody, he's just a kid trying to fill some big shoes…," the former mercenary partially answered.
"…I see…," was all Gaius could say. "We'll discuss this matter more later. The others still need our help."
Without saying another word, the three hurried off the roof as quickly as they came. Unknown to them however, a fourth person had been present during their conflict, hiding in the shadows and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. However, she did not get that chance, the woman beside the young man somehow able to detect her presence. With the three now gone, she came out of the corner from which she was hiding.
"'Nobody', huh?" the young woman questioned Alvin's words. "Is that the word you use for the person who killed me? What are you hiding this time, Alvin?"
Elle didn't know what to make of the situation; here she was remaining with four of her friends and a girl she never met before, standing by the sidelines once again as she did ten years ago. This man, the 'Demon King' that Ivar always talked about in his 'Ancient Tales of Yawn', not once did Elle want to believe in such a thing, but after today observing what she was seeing now, she couldn't deny that such a tale may have some merit.
"Useless!" the man cried as he dodged another combined assault from the four.
No, it wasn't just this man that Elle was concerned about, it was the Director of EX Laboratories herself, the woman who called herself 'Emeraude'. Ever since the fighting began, she had become silent for the most part, her body practically frozen with the exception of her eyes. The young recruit instantly recognized that look, being similar to that she always had when she was a child. Though she was a spectator for now, Emeraude was certainly analyzing every aspect of the fight, her eyes shifting between each fighter as they continued to exchange blows with Sekundes. Yet there was one fighter in particular she had especially been observing the whole time, the Lord of Spirits herself, Milla Maxwell.
"Why isn't it working?!" Elize cried, tears rapidly running down her face. "Leia, please!"
The grip on Elle's watch tightened as she watched her friend's futile attempts. Even the apple gels and life bottles she tried to feed her had no effect. Despite how much she wanted to help her other companions in their fight against the Demon King, Elle knew she couldn't leave Elize and Leia to fend themselves in their current predicament, even if she were to use 'it'.
"So the Old Tales are true…," Ivar said as he struggled to catch his breath. "He is capable of manipulating time as if he were one with Chronos himself."
Despite their fight having progressed for some time now, the Lord of Time and Space himself looked to be anything but exhausted unlike his opponents. Even the Lord of Spirits herself was fatigued, her entire body drenched in her own perspiration and her body melting from its own temperatures. At this rate, even she didn't know how much longer she could continue this fight, but she knew she had to end this quickly. The role this man was to play, Milla couldn't even begin to fathom the thought of what would happen if she failed in her mission.
With her eyes quickly scouting the area around her, the Lord of Spirits noticed that the rest of the Splintered soldiers were now withdrawing from the facility. Even though it seemed as if they had the advantage now, just her opponent's skill alone was more than enough to make up for the retreating troops. She knew that at this current rate all of their efforts would be for naught. She had to end this quickly, she had to end this soon, she couldn't delay any longer!
"This ends now!"
The Lord of Spirits quickly sprang forward, her sword rising above her head and slicing the wind once again. Despite being outnumbered, the Lord of Space and Time welcomed the challenge, rushing toward the opposition as quickly as he could. Though he was more than a few feet away at first, in the blink of an eye he was already in front of her a few steps away. Strangely however, his blade was once again housed in its scabbard, his fist leading his charge as he sprang forward.
Despite his sudden teleportation, Milla knew she could end this so-called destined battle with the next move. She predicted that although she would still be impacted by his punch, she would still be able to bring her blade into his skull at the same time. The punch would certainly cost her life, but the following cut would cost his as well. Neither of the spirits would survive this attack, the people of the Human Realm would survive without having experienced the cycle of this endless war.
…yet all it took for the Lord of Spirits to quickly back out of this plan was the sound of a single heartbeat. Again she heard it, the sound of her child resonating within her once again. It's true she could end this war with a single strike against her opponent and herself, but what of the life inside her? Even though Milla could always return to the Spirit Realm if her physical form in the Human Realm was destroyed, she did not know if the same rule would apply to her child. All life was sacred, it should never have to sacrificed, especially if it had not truly lived. But what of the lives of the many that could be sacrificed if she gave the life inside her priority? Wouldn't that take precedence above a single life, even if it were one she was carrying inside of her?
"Even if the Four disapprove of my decision, aborting my child is not an option," Milla recalled her words to her sister in that moment. "I intend to give birth and raise this child, even if I must do it alone."
"Milla!" Elle cried as a splash of red painted the ground beneath them.
Even her former lover was in shock from what he had just seen. What happened just now, the way she reacted to this man's assault, it wasn't like her at all. She had the perfect opportunity to end this battle with a single blow, despite the fact that it would end her own life, and yet…
Instead of swinging her blade downward, the Lord of Spirits had jumped backward at the last second, allowing her opponent's strike to rise further upward, striking at her jaw instead. Yet the Demon King's assault continued after his initial punch, following with a downward punch with his left hand afterward, striking the Lord of Spirits in the back of her skull. Yet Milla endured the strike, her left arm shielding her abdomen as best as she could, despite having not been struck there.
"What was that?" her opponent scoffed, pulling the Lord of Spirits into the air using her 'crowning glory'. "I thought you were the type to sacrifice yourself if it was for the greater good?"
"D…don't take me lightly!" the fire in the Lord of Spirits eyes ignited once more. "I summon the Four Great Spirits!" Milla cried. "Efreet, Undine, Sylph, Gnome! Come to my aid!"
In that instant, the Four Great Spirits appeared beside their master, freeing her from her captor's grasp. The Demon King nearly fell backward as he escaped their initial attack, only to find himself at his nemesis's mercy as she sprang forward once again.
"Now!" the Lord of Spirits charged, her blade slicing against the wind once more. "Come!" she chanted, slicing at her foe's legs as she charged passed him with a blaze of fire. "And gather!" her blade rose upward, a geyser of water erupting beneath Sekundes' feet and launching him to the air. "Combine!" the Lord of Spirits now jumped into the heavens, swinging her arm outward, sending a gust of air into her opponent. "Take shape!" several stone javelins then appeared, hurling themselves into her enemy. "And be my blade!" the Four gathered around their master in a cross formation. "Elemental Mastery!"
By her command, the four elements combined into a single stream of mana, the concentrated burst quickly eating away at the Demon King. As Milla had surmised, it seemed as if Sekundes was unable to use his power while he was being afflicted with pain, her mystic arte revealing a simple pile of ashes the moment the attack had faded. Though the sight brought relief to the two of her youngest companions, Milla immediately knew something wasn't right.
"Over here," her nemesis's words whispered into her ear once again.
The Lord of Spirits' eyes narrowed as his sinister voice spoke, her body instinctively turning around while swinging her sword at the source. The Demon King drew his blade again at that point, slicing outward with his cut, their steel meeting once more for a mere second.
Clang! The clash was brief, the blow strong, the single strike clearly showing this fight's victor. To everyone's shock, the upper half of a colored steel was now sailing through the air, its owner's jaw held aghast as her eyes watched it plummet to the floor. It was clear at this point that her foe's strength behind his swing was even greater than ever, his sword having effortlessly cleaved through the blade of her own in what seemed like minimal effort.
Upon seeing the breaking of her sword, her remaining allies tried to step forward, only to find themselves suddenly stopping upon taking a single step. It felt as if something was blocking their path, an invisible wall which prevented them from moving forward. As the young researcher's eyes met with the floor, he soon saw something strange in the ground. A shadow was moving, but it was a dark silhouette that had no form in the light. Before his eyes, the shadow began to expand, lifting upward from beyond the ground and into the light, forming around the Lord of Spirits and her nemesis, engulfing them in black, yet translucent sphere.
"What is this?!" Milla exclaimed as her nemesis finished the casting of his arte.
"So that was the power of your Four," Sekundes spoke once again. "To be honest, I'm not impressed. How about I show you mine?"
In that instant, four masses covered in black began to form beside the Demon King. Despite her sword being broken, Milla ready her blade once more for the oncoming onslaught. In spite of her preparations however, the dark silhouettes beside the Lord of Space and Time began to grow in size, quickly enveloping the entire vicinity in black. Even light emitted from the Four could not be found in this chilling atmosphere, yet the Lord of Spirits kept her wits about her, her eyes constantly shifting to every possible direction angle as possible. She needn't look far however, as a pair of pink eyes then opened right before her, followed by his voice.
"Now!" the light suddenly appeared once more.
Before she could react, Milla suddenly felt herself falling to the floor, a sharp pain emanating from her ankles. Turning around, she found her foe with his back turned toward her, his legs slightly kneeling and his sword fresh with blood. Before she could react however, the Demon King continued his arte.
"All things must end!" he chanted the incantation of his mystic arte.
In that instant, the Lord of Spirits found herself being forcefully lifted into the air, as if a mob of hands had thrown her into the sky. Even the Four found themselves helpless to stop this, they too being forcefully launched as the Demon King continued his attacked.
"Let it be…" he continued as he jumped into the air with his foes. "…by my hand!"
A pair of strong winds and spear-like shadows now struck the five, the Lord of Spirits once again using her free arm as a shield for her belly. As she did in the past, she endured the pain, the trauma echoing within her body as she could do nothing but watch as her opponent lifted himself into the air now, the illumination of a dark cross and four black sigils appearing in each point, with himself in the center.
"Daemonium Mastery!" the Lord of Time and Space chanted his arte's name.
The Lord of Spirits' allies could only watch in shock from the outside of the barrier invisible barrier. This man that she was fighting was definitely of a different class, able to fend her and everyone else off with apparent ease. Again they continued their efforts in destroying the barrier, yet their strikes were only absorbed into the unseen wall, their attacks simply causing rippling effects within the atmosphere in front of them.
"Just what is this?" Sophie questioned as she continued her futile attempts to pummel her way through.
"Damn it!" the young researcher cursed as he struck his fist against the invisible shield once again.
Elle could only grit her teeth as she continued in their futile efforts. Once more the feeling of being useless came to the forefront, the memory of the 'other' Milla replaying in her mind. No, it wasn't just her that was being useless, everyone was trying their best to break down the barrier and yet… If only she had the strength, if only she had more power, then…
"Elle?" the young cadet's superior turned his full attention to her as she reached into her pocket.
The world around her seemed to have gone frozen at that moment, the cries and echoes of the futile battle becoming deaf in Elle's ears. The feeling of cold metal trickled into her palm slowly, her fingers slowly wrapping themselves on her father's old memento. The power behind the watch, its power may have been sealed ten years ago, but a new power had been implemented in its wake, a power that had gone untested and was most likely unstable.
Ludger had left the responsibility of this world in her hands, and what better time to use this power that was granted to her than now. Yanking the device from her pocket fully now, she placed both hands behind the device, her voice screaming as she began to unlock her watch's new potential.
"Elle, don't!" Ivar tried to protest. "It still hasn't been field tested yet! Stand down, Cadet! I said stand-!"
More agony reverberated throughout the entire Lord of Spirits' body once again, the surge of black mana burning and slicing as it swam through her. Again the Lord of Spirits did her best to shield the life inside of her, both of her arms now covering her abdomen as the blast ate at the rest of her body. Though it lasted no more than a second, the Lord of Spirits soon found herself face first in the floor, each of her limbs having gone numb from the pain.
From the corner of her eye however, Milla saw that her four faithful servants had also been dealt the same fate, each of them surprisingly lying on the floor in agony. It was thought to be impossible that such a blow could even affect them, but something wasn't right ever since she summoned them just now. Each of them felt a little weaker, as if they had lost a significant portion of their strength. Even her mystic arte seemed a weaker than usual, as if it were only a quarter of its normal power.
Despite the concern for her followers, the Lord of Spirits quickly became overwrought with panic in that moment. The second heartbeat inside of her seemed to have gone silent. Her remaining strength then shifted to her hands, quickly searching for any signs of life, the Lord of Spirits having never looked so desperate in her life. Much to her relief however, the tiny heart inside her was still beating, unaffected by what had just occurred. Yet that relief quickly disappeared however, her enemy standing before her once again with sword in hand.
"That attack should have killed you, so why…?" the Demon King questioned, his eyes then finding themselves focusing on where her arms now lay. "No… That can't-!"
Before the Demon King could say another word, he found the invisible barrier around him beginning to crack. At first they were merely a web of tiny cracks infused with light, that light soon flooding into the rest of the darkness. Slowly, bit by bit the unseen shield began to crack like glass, the web of light soon entirely enveloping the atmosphere. Within seconds, the shield broke into many fragments of light, the Lord of Space and Time turning to the source of the break, finding several individuals standing before him, with the person in the center quickly catching his attention.
Though this young girl was dressed in traditional Spirius DOGS clothing for the most part, it was her gauntlets, boots and halberd that caught his attention. The sharply accented boots and gauntlets were identical to Ludger's, a faint glow of spirit fossils could be seen within the fullers of her equipment. Even the piece of metal that attached to her neck, chin and cheeks had this glow. It was clear at this point that this wasn't truly the power of Chromatus, just a cheap spyrite imitation in appearance only. Still, the image had paralyzed the Demon King, the man standing in shock as his eyes continued to watch the young girl.
"That's…!" the man continued to look shocked.
"Milla…," the young cadet said in barely a whisper.
Before she could take another step however, the glow of her armor suddenly dimmed, the weight of the suit pulling her to the ground. At the last second, Elle's arms pushed forward, barely catching her fall, a second flash emanating around her for a mere second before reverting her back to her original clothing. It was just as Ivar said, the suit was still unstable, its power only having been activated for a mere 30 seconds and it had already drained Elle of virtually all her strength. Still, it did allow her and the others to break through the barrier, so it wasn't for nothing.
"Elle!" the former handmaid cried, rushing her side.
"I…I'm okay," she tried to assure him. "I'm just a little winded, that's all."
"I think we both know how this is going to end," Milla said as she lifted herself off the floor. "I suggest you and your men drop your weapons now and surrender."
"I hardly think so," the woman who instigated the whole incident scoffed. "Today was a mere observation of all of your capabilities, and to be frank, I was not impressed."
"What do you mean observation?!" Elize exclaimed.
"It's just like her to do something underhanded," Sophie explained. "She had no intention of following through with her true intentions today. This was just a test to see what she would be fighting against."
"You coward…!" the Lord of Spirits spat. "I won't let you-!"
Again time had frozen itself, the Lord of Spirits once again conscious of the change. Before her eyes, she saw the streak of her foe's red strand of hair once more. It moved swiftly towards her, her body unable to even will itself to move or block. The glimmer of steel accompanied the blur this time, the Lord of Spirits unable to count the many slashes that accompany it just by looking, only to get an estimate as the Demon King chanted his arte's name.
"Million Assault!" he stated as time resumed its normal course once again.
In that one second, the effects of Sekundes' strike made itself known. It was a small cut at first, a single streak that fell from just before Milla's neck. More lines began to follow, the gaps between each cut soon widening, the pieces that were severed becoming smaller and smaller, the web of cuts becoming more ornate with time. Within ten seconds the full effect of the Demon King's cut was known, the Lord of Spirits' crowning glory having been severed from a little bit above the base of her neck and below. In her thirty-one years of existence, not once did Milla Maxwell ever cut her hair, but now here it was, a majority of it now resting on the floor. Her hair was now trimmed to stop at halfway of the length of her neck, only her bangs and sideburns having remained untouched. However, the green strand of hair was left uncut as well, still sticking out from the side of her head.
"Lady Milla!" Sylph exclaimed, his masterpiece of thirty-one years destroyed.
"At least it should be easier to style now," Sekundes simply scoffed at his latest work. "But next time it'll be your body instead of your hair," the Demon King warned.
"Are you already running away?" the Lord of Sprits questioned as the Demon King began to walk toward the director. "I won't accept your pi-!"
Again her stomach was bubbling, the contents within already starting to escape her throat. A look of disgust fell upon the Demon King's face as his enemy vomited, his once calm and collected demeanor surprisingly shaken. Her sudden illness even took her comrades off guard, each of them filled with shock as much as disgust. After several seconds, the sickness subsided, but it had left the Lord of Spirits still weak.
"All life is sacred, all spirits inherently know and believe that," the man surprisingly said, having turned his back on her once again. "What you carry has never been found in any part of our history. Even I will not end it so easily."
"Wait, what is he talking about?" Jude pondered aloud.
"I'm gonna call it day," the Demon King sighed. "Emeraude, you can probably get what you want out of her now. She and the Four seem too weak to fight."
"Wait!" Milla cried, only to fall to her knees once more.
Without wasting anymore of his breath, the four shadows from before jumped from out of the floor, engulfing the Lord of Space and Time completely. Completely covered, the shadows began to pull him toward the earth, his body sinking to ground as if he were being absorbed by it, leaving not even a trace of the shadows as he fully disappeared. As quickly as he came, he was gone in that same instant. However, there was still one more threat to deal with.
"This isn't exactly what I anticipated, but I suppose it's all for the better," the EX Laboratories director grinned.
"I don't think so!" Sophie tried to spring forward once again.
Upon hearing her former creation, Emeraude then turned toward her, extending her palm fully outward. Again the purple-haired girl found her body bouncing backward, the image of a green wall appearing before her for a mere second, indicating the presence of another invisible barrier, the same barrier that stopped Sophie's punch when this fight first began. Not allowing the shield to stop her, Sophie sprang forward again, only to fall back the moment she noticed a pair of familiar mechanical blue eyes staring at her once again.
"Warning! Warning!" the robot announced. "Resorting to emergency reserves. All living beings within the immediate vicinity with the exception of previously programmed restrictions will be targeted! Repeat…"
"What?!" Jude exclaimed. "That can't be-!"
Before the young researcher could openly protest, the machine began to open fire once more as directed. With more possible targets around it, the robot began firing wildly, as if it were a child with its finger stuck on a machine gun's trigger. The uncontrolled stream of lead quickly forced everyone to take cover that very second, the war machine seemingly having lost its ability to differentiate hard surfaces for cover and the atmosphere. Though the bullets would continue to strike the walls or crates each of its targets hid behind, the constant barrage made it impossible for any of them to get close. Yet despite its seemingly random bursts of firing, the machine never once shot anywhere near its master or her intended target.
"Everyone!" the Lord of Spirits tried to rise once more, only to find herself somehow paralyzed.
"Don't make this difficult," Emeraude told Milla, her hand reaching for the Lord of Spirits now. "I'll just take what I need and you can be on your merry little way."
Milla still found herself helpless at that point, the invisible barrier somehow finding its way to surround her body entirely, preventing her from moving and of her limbs from she knelt. From her hand, Milla could feel a strange emanating from her outstretched palm, its simple presence draining her strength as it drew closer. The Lord of Spirits noticed the sphere on this woman's leg at this point, the way it pulsed and grew brighter the closer her hand drew toward her. This device…whatever it was, Milla concluded that this was the method she planned on stealing her power. If only she could destroy it, if only she her companions could stop it, then…
"Wait, what…?" the director's hand suddenly pulled away.
The sky had fully turned black in that moment, enveloping the sky into and endless black. Everyone instantly thought the Demon King had made his return in that moment, only to think otherwise when a fearful look appeared in the green-haired woman's eyes. Whatever this was, it was certainly a threat to Emeraude, and at the same time, a possible threat to them.
"No…," Emeraude said with a quiver in her voice. "You're not supposed to be here…!"
From the darkness, a familiar figure emerged. Clad in a yellow business jacket and skirt, it was none other than Leia who was hovering in the air, but something about her was different, otherworldly perhaps. But how was this possible? Leia's body was still lying on the floor, presumably dead. Yet when they to look back at the corpse, the cadaver was now entirely covered in light, dividing itself into many fragments that disappeared into the darkness.
"What the?" the former mercenary and the three that followed him now found themselves at the edge of the event. "Leia!"
As if on cue, another copy of the chief editor appeared directly in across from her in the sky. A third one then appeared soon, after, shortly by a fourth. More and more copies of Leia suddenly began to fill the sky to the shock of everyone but the girl from another world. Even Milla and the Four found themselves in awe from what they were witnessing, this strange phenomena being alien even to them. With many new targets now in place, the robot began firing into each of them, yet its attacks seemed to have no effect, the bullets themselves suddenly stopping before they could touch any of them.
Within seconds the entire sky was now covered with these copies of their friend, each with their eyes shut and their body hovering completely still. In complete unison, they all opened their eyes however, their right arm pointing toward Emeraude and her mechanical subordinate as they all spoke in sync the same words.
"Die and rejoin the stars!" the many Leias chanted. "Purification!"
All of the darkness suddenly shifted into a blinding white in that moment, each of the chief editor's selves then turning their bodies clockwise as their right leg extended outward in a kick. The darkness then appeared once more, shifting into a single black stream which quickly hurled itself at Emeraude and the machine. The blast quickly sliced through the director and the robot in that instant, cutting both in half with a single swipe.
Yet the attack only continued for the director, that same strike then severing the digits of her fingers from her hands, and then moving to the joints in her limbs. The green-haired woman let out a blood curdling scream as the black onslaught continue to eat at her bit-by bit, her agony's cry interrupted as a final stream separated her head from her neck.
With the job now done, each of her comrades could only watch each of many Leias hover down to the earth. As soon as some of them touched the floor however, they would disappear into the white sky, the atmosphere gradually returning to its normal color. Within seconds they all disappeared with the exception of one, this one nearly falling to the floor the moment her feet touched the ground.
"Leia!" Alvin cried again, catching his ex-girlfriend in his arms.
"…Alvin…," her eyes surprisingly narrowed at his gaze.
"You are Leia, right?" the former mercenary asked.
"If this is supposed to be some kind of joke, this is your worst one yet," she huffed. "Of course I'm Leia!"
"I thought this would be the case…," Sophie thought to herself.
"So when you told us not to bother Leia after she got shot, it was because…," Elize tried to ponder aloud.
"Little Queen is capable of making many copies of herself," the purple-haired girl explained. "The one that got shot was one of those. The real Leia was probably somewhere else during our fight until its end."
"You must be Sophie, then?" the chief editor asked, pushing herself away from her ex-boyfriend. "Little Queen's original host?"
The way Leia was acting right now, it just wasn't like her. Ever since she reappeared before him, she wasn't acting like herself. The way she pushed him away, the way she violently killed Emeraude , the way she was acting right now, it was like she was ignoring him completely. The former mercenary could only surmise the original reason for their break-up was possibly because of this 'Little Queen' soul possessing her or lending her power to Leia, or whatever, but as to why she still acting like this, Alvin couldn't even begin to wonder why.
"Leia…," the businessman could only watch.
"Bzzt… Bzzt…," the war mechanization that the editor's copies defeated tried to speak.
"It's still functioning?!" Jude exclaimed.
"P…preparing self destruct sequence… Counting down… 500… 499… Error! Error! Sequence lost… Resuming at 20… 19…"
"Less than 20 seconds!" Ivar panicked. "There's no way we can get out of here in time! Oh man, I can't die now, there was so much I wanted to write! So much I wanted to do!"
Though a majority of them attempted to keep their cool, Milla knew that they had actually thought otherwise. Looking to the Four, she knew that they had still lacked the strength to defend them all from the blast, much less themselves. It was strange, at this point they would have been able to gather enough mana to at least heal themselves enough to generate elemental barriers for everyone, but now it was as if they couldn't even fend for themselves, as if they were weakened any further.
Looking to her other comrades, she could tell that neither Elle's nor Leia's newfound powers were going to be of any assistance either, the two of them still exhausted from their last use. Elize and Rowen's artes would not be enough to buffer the explosion either, nor would Jude's healing artes… It was clear that their options were running thin, the Lord of Spirits biting down on her lip as she hurriedly tried to think of a way out of their current predicament.
"There's no way it can end here!" the former handmaid continued his ranting aloud. "We can't give up! There has to be a way-!"
"Has your handmaid always been this annoying, Milla?" the Lord of Spirits' sister suddenly appeared, her demeanor as nonchalant as ever. "By the way, nice haircut, I didn't think you'd have time to-"
"Muzét, get us out of here!" the younger sister promptly ordered.
"As you wish."
"7…," the robot continued. "6… 5… 4…"
In that instant, a translucent blue orb surrounded the party, sealing them inside at taking them into the air. Though they could not hear the machine's countdown any longer, the effects of its countdown quickly made itself known, the fiery blast quickly engulfing the immediate vicinity below before hurling itself toward the heavens. The heat of the flames was soon beneath their feet, the entire party almost in panic as they saw the rising fire. Yet the Great Spirit remained as calm as ever, closing her hand into a fist, shrinking the sphere they were in further, almost crushing them as it did so. The flames were now literally at their ankles, the fire ready to consume them all, only to eat away at nothing as they all vanished from the vicinity with the snap of Muzét's fingers.
"What is this place?" Gaius questioned, finding the new atmosphere somewhat baffling.
The King of Rieze Maxia didn't know what to make of where they had escaped to; despite his many visits to Elympios, he was still foreign to many of their customs and locations. This particular place was no different, being filled with many electronic devices he couldn't even begin to understand with the exception of the many cameras that were on display. Looking around, he saw several civilians walking by, some with baskets in hand or pushing shopping carts around different aisles. He surmised at that point that they must have been in some sort of store as he soon saw signs and stickers showing prices for items that were on display.
"This is the Spirius Department Store in Trigleph…," Elle quickly recognized her surroundings. "But what are we doing here?"
"Hey, where's Milla and Jude?" Elize questioned, finding everyone but the pair in their group.
In that very instant, a portal behind the party suddenly opened, the aforementioned two suddenly springing forth, with Milla's back hitting the floor and the young researcher falling on top of the Lord of Spirits.
"Ow…!" the Lord of Spirits moaned.
"Um, Milla…," Elize found herself somewhat embarrassed by her friends' current situation.
The two quickly realized their predicament they were in at that moment, the Lord of Spirits blushing for a brief moment as she looked up to find Jude's gaze. Unfortunately, the sentiment was not returned as the young researcher pulled himself off the ground without any signs of expression, simply dusting himself off as he did so.
"Can someone explain the situation?" Jude said, getting straight the point as he ignored his former lover. "First my boss tries to kill everyone, the project I was working on for the past month ended up becoming another Lance of Kresnik, and now…"
"Jude…," the young researcher's new blunt personality had caught her off guard.
"Milla Maxwell, it's urgent that I speak with you!" the young purple-haired girl that had accompanied the party exclaimed. "I think now is a good time as any."
"I suppose," the Lord of Spirits answered with a bit a bit of uneasiness in her voice, "but honestly-"
Instead of speaking further, Milla's stomach spoke for her, grumbling rather loudly that it even caught the attention of the patrons of the store. Rowen, Alvin, Elle and Elize couldn't help but laugh at her stomach's reaction as memories of old quickly resurfaced. Despite being the Lord of Spirits for eleven years now, her appetite certainly didn't seem to change.
"She's the same Milla as always all right," Elize commented.
"Lady Milla, how may I be of assistance?" her former handmaid quickly ran to her side.
"…I could have something to eat," Milla simply answered.
"At once, I'll be sure to have this facility's proprietor have has finest chef prepare his most exquisite meal for you!" Ivar bowed before running toward the food court.
"'Finest chef?' 'Exquisite meal?' It's a department store, this isn't exactly a five-star restaurant you know," Elle sighed.
"I suppose we should follow him then," Rowen commented. "We can go over all of the details over a hot meal."
"I suppose that would be a good time as ever," Gaius nodded.
With everyone in agreement, each of them began to walk toward the food court in which Ivar had sped off. As the others began to leave, the Lord of Spirits tried to address her former lover once again, her mind racing through millions of thoughts as she tried to speak. No words were able to escape her mouth however, the young researcher instead moving forward without any sign of emotion or concern for the Lord of Spirits. The silent air between them left a cold air blowing over Milla's shoulder, her heart twisting as she saw his back growing farther between them as he walked. She reached out toward him and tried to call his name, only to stop herself as she took into consideration of the pressing matters at hand.
"No, now's not the time…," Milla told herself, her hand laying against her belly.
"…I see…," the woman simply said as she finished reviewing the video from her desk. "So this is the extent of their abilities…"
"I don't know if I should commend you or insult you for your cowardice," the Demon King told the woman as he emerged from the shadows. "But like that Sophie girl said earlier, 'it's just like you to do something underhanded'. On that note, there's something about you I just don't like."
"Oh, and what would that be?" Emeraude questioned.
Again the woman's head appeared to be severed from her body, the Lord of Time and Space's actions speaking louder than his words ever could. Sekundes could only glare at his recent kill, if he could even call it that. Taking the severed skull by the hair, his eyes could only narrow further. It was a convincing copy, almost like the real thing, the viscosity and smell of the synthetic blood was almost like the real thing. However, he could literally see the truth within her eyes.
"You and your damn machines…," the Demon King snorted, his eyes diverting to the apparently unharmed director who was now standing behind him. "Really now, do you even know which one is the real you anymore?"
"I could tell you which one of us is real," the director said as a woman in the exact same appearance and shape appeared next to her, followed by several more, "but what would be the point? As far as I'm concerned, we're all alive and breathing, a single consciousness with many bodies."
Strangely this single statement made the Demon King's eyebrow furrow, his arm quickly lunging at the Emeraude closest to him. With ease his fingers dug into her arm, the woman crying out in pain as he extracted the limb from her body. It was just as he thought, another fake, the wires shaped like veins pouring out synthetic blood as sparks barely visible to the human eye emitted from the newly formed 'wound'.
"You wanna talk about being alive?" Sekundes seethed, throwing the mechanical limb to the floor. "Then what about all those innocent people you had Gil's men kill? You told me that you wouldn't needlessly end lives, and yet you… You… You lied to me, damn it!"
"Lied? Hardly…," Emeraude's many copies said in unison.
"Shut up!" the Lord of Space and Time yelled. "Just shut up and show yourself! Your real self, or do I have to start cutting off more heads until I find the real you!"
"You want to talk about being real, isn't that rich coming from you," the copies taunted in unison. "How is what we're doing any different than the sins you committed ten years ago?"
"What?!" the woman's words paralyzed the Demon King.
"I'm not talking about Sekundes, Lord of Space and Time either, I'm talking about-"
"No, that was different, that was-!"
"Countless lives were also lost back then, and you're going to lecture me about the lives we've taken today?" Emeraude continued. "Remember Sekundes, you and I have roles to fill for our worlds, it's only inevitable that lives will be lost in the process. After all, have you forgotten the many lives you and your friends had taken? The sins of your past will forever outweigh the sins you will ever commit. Just because you saved one world doesn't mean it makes up for the many more that were lost."
Sekundes found himself speechless after hearing the woman's words. As badly as he wanted to just cut all of these mechanical copies to pieces, he knew it would accomplish very little. What she said was true, the many lives that he took in the past would outweigh the few he saved. Even so, the fact remained that…
"I seem to have struck a chord," one of the many Emeraude's stepped toward the sulking man. "I'll let my little lecture swim around a bit in that thick skull of yours. Just remember though, our actions will bring about the resurrection of both of our worlds. Resurrection cannot be brought without death… That is, if this world is really yours to begin with…"
Without saying another word, the copies of the EX Laboratories' director returned to the shadows. Even with her gone, her words still continued to echo in the Lord of Time and Space's mind. Resurrection cannot be brought without death. The words rang true to him in many ways, and yet…
"Maybe you're right…," the Demon King reluctantly agreed, "resurrection cannot be brought without death. Yet the resurrection you hope for is only for that of the damned…"
Skit: The Naked Truth
Elize: Elle, the way you transformed back there… It was almost like Ludger's Chromatus…
Elle: Hm, now that you mention, it kinda does… It's got the black paint, a gear-shaped spear, and the pieces come straight out of my watch too.
Ivar: It's actually an incomplete exoskeleton powered by spyrite based on recorded data from previous Chromatus users, including Ludger and Julius. With the exception of sending foes to alternate dimensions like the real thing, it can least enhance its user's physical prowess for a small time amount of time. The guys at the lab like to call it 'Promatus'.
Elize: Promatus…
Elle: Yup, just like the Chromatus in every other way!
Alvin: So if it's like the Chromatus, in reality, are you also actually wearing your birthday suit?
Elle: Birthday suit? What are you talking about, I'm not wearing a-! Hey wait a minute!
Sophie: So then is it like the spandex that the Sunspot Rangers wear?
Alvin: Ooh, just as nice! You don't leave much to the imagination, do you, Elle?
Elle: Ugh…
Leia: (Angry) Knock it off, Alvin! You're sounding like a total creeper.
Alvin: Whoa, whoa! No need to get jealous!
Sophie: Are you saying these things because you 'like them young'? Are you what they call 'a pedophile'?
Alvin: Wait, what?
Sophie: Isn't what you're doing called 'sexual harassment'?
Alvin: Now hold on! I didn't mean anything like that!
Sophie: Why are you lying?
Leia: (Fuming) Damn it, Alvin! Is this what you do when we break up? You go straight for the younger model?!
Alvin: Wait, Leia, it's no- (sound of numerous staff strikes) Hey, ouch! I was just jo- (numerous staff strikes continue) Ouch! Ow… (sinks to the ground) …ugh…
Leia: Hmph, jerk! (walks away)
Ivar: …well that was interesting…
Elize: Wow, I've never seen Leia so angry…
Elle: You said it.
Sophie: …so Elle, about your Promatus…
Elle: (sighs) …I'm not going to be able to get away from this, huh?
Author's Note: And so another chapter comes to a close. The fight took a little bit longer than I had anticipated that I was forced to move a scene involving some revelations to the next chapter. As such, we'll be taking a break from all the fighting and focus on character drama for the next chapter or two.
Regarding what was edited out of this chapter for this website, let's just say the Kaon healing scene and Emeraude's 'death' is much more gruesome and detailed in the uncut version (more than what we've seen in any of the games). The uncut content doesn't really add anything to the overall events, so you don't have to read it if you don't want to. (I think my mind was in a very dark place when I originally wrote it, I don't think I'll have many more gruesome scenes in the fic if it can be helped.)
Regarding Sekundes' Four, I know that Sekundes (or even Dhaos from Tales of Phantasia) did not have his own personal Four Great Spirits at his command, but then again, I don't recall the original Maxwell having control of Efreet, Undine, Sylph, and Gnome either. As to the identities of Sekundes' Four, they are based on canon entities found in the Tales series. Also, I'm aware that Sekundes' mystic arte is the 'Sekundes Laser' (or 'Super Dhaos Laser' in Dhaos' cameo battle in Tales of Vesperia), but this arte won't be seen until much later due to the myth mentioned by Ivar in a previous chapter.
Speaking of Sekundes, I thought I needed to add his final scene to this chapter to show that he isn't 'just a bad guy'. True his overall goal may not be good, but as the old saying goes, 'the path to hell is paved with good intentions'. I suppose I'm basing Sekundes a bit more on Dhaos from Tales of Phantasia at this point since he was a villain who originally had good intentions as well, but turned more toward the path of darkness. In any case, I think I'm guessing some readers might be guessing who Sekundes really is now, but I ask that you please not spoil any other readers with any conclusions at this point.
Regarding Elle's Promatus, I thought it'd be kind of a waste not to have the Chromatus ability appear in the story in some form or another, but it's more like a 'power-up' suit as indicated by Ivar in the skit. If anything, it actually tires the user out over time, hence why she pretty much fell over after breaking Sekundes' barrier.
Lastly (seems like I've been having these long-winded notes a lot lately), the whole copy thing regarding Leia and Emeraude. Little Queen had the ability to make copies in Tales of Graces F, so I only thought it natural Leia inherit some of her abilities (although they too tire her out a lot quickly, and in later chapters, using said powers does have side effects). In regard to Emeraude's copies, though it was not explicitly shown or stated, but it seems like the Emeraude that is encountered Asbel's party throughout Tales of Graces F is a mechanical copy as the original Emeraude found in the game's 'archives' appears to be crippled while the one encountered can walk around on her own (not to mention there's 'Emeraude 2.0' encountered in the post-game dungeon).
Anyway, the next chapter will be strictly drama once again, namely the tension between the couples (or rather 'ex-couples'). Also, Nova will finally make a small appearance in this story (though her role will be very limited overall if anything, and no, the party won't have to make payments throughout their quest). Hope you all look forward to it!
In any event, thank you all for reading my story so far. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I enjoy writing it. Please be so kind and leave me a review so I can improve my craft, I find more reviews give me the inspiration to update faster. Your words inspire me to continue improving my craft and I hope to continue to do so. See you all in the next chapter!